Delhi Police arrested 193 people and registered 154 cases during a 72-hour enforcement drive targeting organised and street-level crime in North Delhi.
Called “Operation Chakra 72”, the operation ran from the night of August 24 to August 27. Police teams from different stations and units carried out checking, patrolling, searches and surveillance across locations identified as vulnerable to criminal activity.
The drive focused on illegal liquor, narcotics, illegal weapons and gambling. Police said the aim was not only to make arrests but also to identify links between individuals and wider criminal networks.
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More than 10,000 liquor bottles seized
The largest recovery during the operation involved illicit liquor.
Police arrested 63 people under the Excise Act and seized 10,122 quarter bottles of liquor, along with a car allegedly being used to transport it. Preliminary investigation indicated that the liquor had been brought from neighbouring states for distribution in Delhi.
The interstate movement of illicit liquor is significant because bootlegging networks often depend on transporting cheaper or unauthorised liquor across state borders for sale in another market. Police are now examining the source of the seized stock and the people allegedly involved in its transportation and distribution.
Drugs and suspected supply networks under scrutiny
The operation also targeted drug peddling and areas identified by police as drug hotspots.
Twenty-one people were arrested under the NDPS Act. Police recovered approximately 1.975 kg of ganja, 39.2 grams of heroin, 544 grams of charas, 240 buprenorphine tablets and 500 Avil injections.
In one case, police recovered 544 grams of charas along with other substances. The accused allegedly told investigators that the charas had been brought from Himachal Pradesh. Police are verifying that account and examining whether other people were involved in procuring or supplying the drugs.
The investigation now moves beyond the seizure itself. Police are looking at phone contacts, financial transactions, previous records and other evidence to determine whether the arrested suspects were connected to larger supply chains.
Illegal weapons and gambling also uncovered
The crackdown also resulted in 22 arrests under the Arms Act. Police recovered three country-made pistols, two live cartridges and 22 knives.
Gambling-related enforcement produced another sizeable group of arrests. Police registered 50 cases under the Gambling Act and arrested 87 people, while ₹1.69 lakh in stake money, two mobile phones and playing cards were seized.
Four stolen two-wheelers were also recovered during the operation. These recoveries broaden the operation beyond drugs and liquor and show that police were simultaneously checking for other forms of street crime.
For North Delhi residents, the significance of the operation will depend on what happens after the arrests. A short enforcement drive can remove suspects and illegal material from circulation, but disrupting organised crime requires investigators to identify the people supplying, financing and coordinating those activities.
Delhi Police has said that further investigation is continuing, particularly into the links behind the narcotics and illicit liquor seizures. The next stage will therefore be less visible than the 72-hour crackdown, but potentially more important: tracing the networks behind the individuals already arrested.
What this means for you: Increased police checks may temporarily disrupt illegal liquor, drug and gambling activity in vulnerable areas, but residents should still report suspicious activity rather than assuming the operation has eliminated the problem. For emergencies or immediate threats, contact Delhi Police through 112 and provide the location and relevant details.
